Actually, it’s even higher than 99%. Only the rarest of stores should go headless on the Shopify platform. I’ll tell you why and when it makes sense to consider going headless - but first let’s make sure we’re on the same page.
What is a Headless Store on Shopify?
Shopify defines it as:
“Headless commerce is an ecommerce model where the front-end presentation layer is separated from the back-end functionality.” -Shopify
Think of the front end presentation as most of the customer experience, while the backend is the checkout functionality and some other things. This separation allows the merchant and its development team much more flexibility in how they configure and present the store - and what other websites/apps/components it interacts with.
The default integrated Shopify storefront (not headless) is what most merchants use and is sometimes called Online Store, Online Store 2.0, Shopify Storefront or Traditional Storefront.
This is an oversimplification but I want to focus on the big picture here.
Who Wants to Go Headless?
There is a lot of chatter about going headless in the ecommerce world. In my experience, this chatter usually comes from one of 3 sources.
First, some developers tend to geek out on this stuff. They see all the possibilities and can get caught up in the endless buffet of options. So headless could be recommended by a developer or agency you’re working with.
Second, it may come from a frustrated merchant tech team that is working in house in the trenches every day. Perhaps they’ve come across some issues that they can’t solve or just feel it’s time for a change. They’ve come to believe that going headless will solve most of their problems.
Third, it may come from a merchant leadership team experiencing a lot of growth. They’ve been looking ahead at other larger merchants who have gone headless. They may not fully understand the implications. But they have the impression that it’s inevitable or desirable as you grow. Maybe they’ve heard that it makes their store faster/better/cooler/etc.
None of these examples are a good reason to go headless and I’ll tell you why.
The Argument Against Going Headless on Shopify
Headless adds enormous complexity to your tech stack and to your business. Think of it this way. Imagine you wander into a car dealership and find a car you really like, except you have two complaints:
- You wish it had 15% more horsepower.
- You wish the dashboard included a couple other features like an integrated phone holder.
You could easily buy the car today and live without those items. Who knows, maybe there is an aftermarket solution or workaround you could find?
Or… you could decide to get into the auto manufacturing business and build the car exactly as you want it. You’ll need a large team to do this from design to engineering and beyond. You’ll also need to maintain that car and deal with any issues that come up. And since it’s a 100% unique car build, each issue will be its own new mystery to solve.
Don’t get into the “auto manufacturing business” if you don’t absolutely have to.
- Leverage Shopify’s Investment. Shopify’s Online Store 2.0 is an amazing platform out of the box. Shopify is the industry leader - by far. Leverage its experience, learnings, cutting edge technology, support teams and ecosystem without investing your capital directly.
- Avoid Complexity Whenever Possible. Adding the level of complexity that headless brings can be a huge distraction for your business. You’ll want to have an honest conversation with yourself about your resources. Do you have the time, money and large team needed to build, implement and maintain a headless environment? Essentially, are you an enterprise level company or dang close?
- Accountability. When you build a complex environment involving many different teams and stakeholders, it can be hard to find root causes and maintain accountability. Simply put, the various teams involved may be inclined to point the finger at each other when something goes wrong. Solving that riddle can be daunting - and it usually needs to be done quickly.
- Innovation May Solve It. Why not take advantage of Shopify’s innovation? Looking back, Shopify has evolved at a rapid pace and gets better and more robust every year. Consider letting that work for you like compounded interest.
- Why Do You Need It? I’ve seen stores experience tremendous success with a simple site and setup. Chasing shiny objects can be wasteful. But if you really think headless is the solution for you, ask yourself:
- What are the key elements you’re missing?
- How much revenue are you losing because of this?
- What is the likelihood Shopify or an ecosystem partner will solve these issues in the foreseeable future?
- What would be the cost to build a headless environment - taking into account all of the present and future labor, engineering, and opportunity costs?
Large successful Shopify stores can make the default Storefront work well without going headless. If you can make the Shopify Storefront work for you - you should.
Who Should Consider Going Headless?
This article may sound like I’m against headless entirely - I’m not. I actually think it’s an amazing offering by Shopify - in rare and appropriate circumstances. Shopify provides 3 main tools for going headless:
- Storefront API - provides full access to Shopify’s commerce capabilities to build around.
- Hydrogen - development for headless builds.
- Oxygen - deployment and hosting for headless builds.
These tools are fantastic for building a headless Shopify store. And Shopify keeps making them better. It’s clear Shopify understands that some merchants may need to be headless and has done what it can to make that process smooth.
Here are some of the questions I would ask in advising a merchant whether or not to go headless:
- Are you a large enterprise business with vast resources, teams and capabilities? If not, is your business highly unique with very unusual requirements?
- Have you done a cost-benefit analysis that takes into account present and future labor, engineering, and opportunity costs? And going headless wins by a lot?
- How experienced is your team with building and maintaining a headless environment? Not their first rodeo, right?
- What measures do you have in place to ensure accountability and ownership of the various stakeholders involved? Who “owns” it? Do you have a plan in place for emergencies and root cause analysis?
- Is there any other scenario where you could make a normal Shopify Storefront work? Perhaps build a new dedicated site, or bifurcate operations in some way?
If you can answer all of these questions in favor of going headless, then it may be worth looking into.
Talk to Someone First
I would highly recommend talking to other merchants who have gone headless and find out what their experience has been like. And feel free to contact us for a free consultation or to do a deep dive before you build or re-platform.